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2004 Year End Wrap
Up
Index
Top Ten Films of the Year
Honorable Mentions
Bottom Five Films of the Year
2004: The Year of the Political Film
Top Ten Films
of the Year
1. Collateral
Directed by: Michael Mann
Premise: A hit man named
Vincent (Tom Cruise) makes Max (Jamie Foxx), a hapless taxi driver,
chaffer him through a night of murders.
Why It Made the List: This
film belongs to Jamie Foxx and he gives one of the best performances
seen this year. Tom Cruise, in his first role as a villain, uses his
charisma to turn Vincent from a straight villain into a very enamoring,
wolf-like character. All the elements of film, including the sound
design, cinematography, and editing, work together to create a very
exciting but also very emotional cinematic impact. Michael Mann proves
once again that he is one of the most underrated American directors
working today. Collateral
is an exciting, unique film that, like Se7en,
explores the lack of humanity or community in metropolitan areas.
2. Ray
Directed
by: Taylor Hackford
Premise:
A biopic of musician Ray Charles. The film charts his career from
his first jobs in bars to his major success in mainstream record labels
but also his struggles with drug abuse.
Why
It Made the List: The
film is a very balanced portrait of Ray Charles life, giving us the good
and the bad. We see him as a very loving father but also as a drug
addict. Similarly, we see his generous creative side but also his ruthless
business sense. Like Will Smith’s role in Ali,
Jamie Foxx’s performance of Ray Charles is dead on. Unlike Ali,
the story has been well structured and paced out to create a sense of
narrative unity. This
film is constructed as a personal story about addiction and overcoming
chemical dependency and a physical disability. On that level, Ray
is very good and one of the best pictures this year. Along with his work
in Collateral,
Jamie Foxx gives one of the strongest performances of the year. The
movie will be fun for fans of jazz, blues, and R&B but also for
general audiences as well.
3. Closer
Directed
by: Mike Nichols
Premise:
A story about two couples whose love lives are intertwined.
Why
It Made the List: This
is a great story with some very difficult and yet engaging characters.
On one hand, the characters act is very reprehensible ways, especially
Larry (Clive Owen). Yet, the characters achieve a humanity that keeps
the audience from hating them and taking sides. The dialogue is
very sharp and witty, adding humor and humanity to what is very a
difficult film. Closer is also able to achieve an air of extreme
sexual intimacy without actually showing any intercourse. This makes the
film's discussion about the role of sex in relationships more pointed
because it keeps the film focused on the emotions of the characters.
Closer
is a film about sexual relationships and achieves an honesty and truth
about those relationships without being sentimental or pornographic. It
is a heartbreaking film to watch and deserves recognition for its smart
script and superior acting.
4. Friday
Night Lights
Directed
by: Peter Berg
Premise:
The true story of a high school football team in rural Texas and
their road to the state championship.
Why
It Made the List:
The cast of young actors does a very impressive job.
Often times in these kinds of films it is fairly obvious that older
actors are cast in the roles of seventeen year olds, but in this film
the cast feel as though they really are in high school. The film
captures the pressures put on this team by the community and how it
affects not only their game but also their personal lives. The
cinematography and editing are very well done, especially in the final
game. Friday Night Lights could have been passed off as a
documentary film, if not for the presence of Billy Bob Thornton, who
proves once again that he is one of Hollywood’s best (and most
underappreciated) acting talents. Friday
Night Lights may go down as one of the best sports films ever made.
It captures the ferocity and violence of football, but also the personal
heartache of the athletes and their families.
5. Hero
Directed
by: Yimou Zhang
Premise:
A nameless assassin (Jet Li) recounts how he defeated three other
assassins.
Why
It Made the List:
This
is a beautiful looking film. It is heavily formalistic and its fight
scenes are incredible. The story design is very interesting as well; the
stories are told multiple times and with each telling the audience
learns something more about the characters and about the nature of war
and heroism. There is a huge scope to the look of the film but it has a
strong emotional center based on interesting human relationships. Hero
is a gorgeous looking film that is done on the scale of some of
Hollywood's biggest event pictures, but it never loses sight of the
intimate human relationships.
6. Finding
Neverland
Directed
by: Marc Forster
Premise:
The story of author James Matthew Barrie (Johnny Depp) and the
influences from his life that inspired him to write Peter Pan.
Why
It Made the List: The
performances by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet as Sylvia Davies are very
strong. There is a love triangle between them and the Ansell Barrie,
James’ wife, but the film does not simply turn its story over to a
simple love story and keeps complicating it with the relationships
between Barrie and Davies’ children and Sylvia’s mother (Julie
Christie). The
film has a great message about the value of being playful and
using your imagination and how the grown-up world snuffs that out. This
is a metatext, a story about storytelling, and it addresses the reasons
we need fantasy. This is definitely a film for fans of Depp, Peter Pan,
and those who like fantasy stories.
7. Open
Water
Directed
by: Chris Kentis
Premise:
A couple is stranded in shark-infested waters when their diving boat
leaves them in the middle of the ocean.
Why
It Made the List: This
is a very unsettling film and it has the intensity of the opening scene of Jaws.
The married couple (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) are well-developed
characters that the audience is able to latch onto and really care about
them. There is a great authenticity to their performances as they cope
with the situation. Open
Water is an example of low budget filmmaking using its minimal
resources to its advantage. It is one of the most frightening films of
the year and will likely make even seasoned horror fans squirm in their
seats.
8. The
Manchurian Candidate
Directed
by: Jonathan Demme
Premise:
A remake of
the 1962 film. Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), a Gulf War veteran,
has chronic nightmares that he and the men under his command were
brainwashed by a corporation, including one man who is now running for
vice-president (Liev Schreiber).
Why
It Made the List:
This is a film of the times and
a very subversive picture, in some ways even more so than Fahrenheit
9/11. The
acting here is great. Washington creates the conspiracy for the audience
and his performance brings out the paranoia of the situation in a very
well structured way. Liev Schreiber's is able to make the audience
feel a great deal of empathy for his character and while Washington's
role is more pronounced, it is Schreiber who really punctuates the human
tragedy of the situation. Meryl Streep is wonderful as Schreiber's
mother, and theirs is one of the most creepy, manipulative, and Freudian
mother-son relationships ever seen on film. The story of this remake has
been made to fit contemporary politics and anxieties, and this version of
The Manchurian Candidate has all of the potency of a Michael
Moore film.
9. Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Directed
by: Michel Gondry
Premise:
Joel (Jim Carrey) undergoes a procedure to erase his memories of
ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) when their relationship goes
south. In the process of erasing the memories, he realizes the value of
the positive memories despite the pain of the negative ones.
Why
It Made the List: The film is at
its best when it is exploring Joel's memories and allowing him to
explore those memories and why they are special. This is a good pick for
fans of Being
John Malkovich and those who enjoy Jim Carrey as a
dramatic and experimental actor. The film is a breath a refreshing and
original piece that crosses categories of science fiction, art house
pictures, and Hollywood love stories.
10.
Fahrenheit
9/11
Directed
by: Michael Moore
Premise:
The film is a documentary about the Bush
administration and criticizes Bush from the 2000 election through the
Iraq war.
Why
It Made the List: Fahrenheit
9/11 is documentary filmmaking at the top of its game regardless of
its political agenda. It is to the film's credit that Moore stays out of
it and lets the audience absorb the drama as it unfolds. As a piece of
argumentation, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a very partisan piece but it
embraces that political point of view rather than attempt to conceal it.
Is Fahrenheit 9/11 a piece of propaganda? Of course it is. It's
also one of the best and most important films released this year.
Index
Honorable
Mentions
The
Aviator--Demystified Howard Hughes and was another gorgeous film
by Martin Scorsese.
Birth--Deserves
recognition just for having a lot of guts to go to the depths that it
did
The
Bourne Supremacy--The Bourne films are some of the best spy
films every made and prove action and intelligence are not mutually
exclusive.
Dawn
of the Dead--This remake was a return to smart, socially
conscious horror and perhaps the first post-9/11 American film.
De-Lovely--This
very nearly made the Top 10 as it was a great fusion of the stage and film
mediums.
The
Dreamers--A sexy and beautiful film made for the art house crowd.
Jersey
Girl--Director Kevin Smith's
latest film was fun if predictable and featured an Oscar-worthy
performance by George Carlin.
The
Passion of the Christ--This film deserves some recognition for
its ability to use technical mastery to disguise the shallowness of the
content.
Saved!--This
was another film with guts that was also funny, heartfelt, and smart.
Saw--A
frightening film with an uncompromising and smart script.
Shrek
2--This was a very funny and a worthy sequel to the original.
Spiderman
2--This sequel was lots of fun and gave audience one of the best
comic book films ever.
The
Stepford Wives--This was a funny remake that plays well for
contemporary audiences.
Super
Size Me!--A very funny and poignant documentary that never
becomes condescending.
The
Terminal--Tom Hanks’ best performance since Forest Gump.
The
Village--M. Night Shymalan's latest picture was a fascinating
film despite its flaws.
Index
Bottom
Five Films of the Year
1. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Directed
By: Danny Leiner
Premise:
Just like it sounds. Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) get high
on marijuana and decided to take a short road trip to get burgers from
White Castle fast food restaurant.
Why
It Made the List:
The film's attempt to be a fusion
of Dude,
Where's My Car, Road
Trip, and the Cheech and Chong movies falls flat. It's
just not funny. On top of that the characters are totally uninteresting
and even the drug humor does not work. The film lacks the poetry of
idiocy that Cheech and Chong and Dumb
and Dumber do
so well.
John Cho and Kal Penn seem like competent actors, but they have been
given little to work with. Even if you are a stoner yourself, give
this movie a pass.
2. Catwoman
Directed
By: Pitof
Premise:
The DC Comics character from the
Batman franchise is given her own
spin off. In this film she is a full-fledged crime fighter, not a
burglar as in her origins. Also, the film is moved out of Gotham City
and as a result the story bears little resemblance to the comics that Catwoman
was based upon.
Why
It Made the List: The
film switches alternates between being a music video and a strip tease.
Sharon Stone plays perhaps the most uninteresting villain in comic book
adaptation history and she perpetuates a dull drum murder mystery that is
predictable from the start. The film's script seems like it was written
from the point of view of a feminist but then was shot by someone who
did not grasp that at all and objectifies Berry throughout the picture,
defeating any female independence issues. It is too bad someone of
Berry's talents had to be involved in this. If you are interested in
seeing a psychologically interesting Catwoman, I recommend renting Batman
Returns.
3. The
Forgotten
Directed
By: Joseph Rubin
Premise:
A mother (Julianne Moore) grieving the loss of her son is told by her
psychiatrist (Gary Sinese) that all the memories of her son are made up.
Why
It Made the List: The
story is a mess. It has a compelling idea but that idea is not fleshed
out dramatically. The conspiracy plot should be front and center but it
has no structure. For this kind of story to work, the audience needs to
be given clues. This makes the story go forward. Unfortunately, after
Moore’s character realizes she might not be crazy the story grinds to
a halt. The ending comes almost out of nowhere and is very detached
from the rest of the picture. The
Forgotten feels like a really bad episode of the X-Files.
It may make a good rental or party movie but it has little value to the
conspiracy or science fiction genres.
4. Exorcist:
The Beginning
Directed
By: Renny Harlin
Premise:
Prequel
to 1973’s The
Exorcist. Father Merrin (Stellen Skarsgard), the exorcist from
the original picture, leads an archeological expedition into a cursed
church.
Why
It Made the List: This
is just not a very scary film, which is surprising from Harlin, who has
done successful horror films in the past such as Deep
Blue Sea and Nightmare
on Elm Street Part 4. It does have plenty of gore (and was
originally given an NC-17) but it never slows down enough to be scary. The
link between this film and the original is really on contrivance. Fans
of Skarsgard and Harlin may want to have a look but fans of the original
Exorcist will be disappointed.
5. Suspect
Zero
Directed
By: E. Elias Merhige
Premise:
A man (Ben Kingsley) trained by the FBI to find serial killers by
reconstructing their fantasies begins to hunt the killers on his own.
Why
It Made the List: The premise of the film has been seen before in Manhunter,
Red
Dragon, and in an overload of TV police procedurals. There
are massive plot holes in the climax as characters appear out of nowhere
and act inconsistent with their motivations. The film is an example of
style over substance. Despite some strong acting, Suspect Zero
cannot overcome the massive problems of its script. Give this one a pass
and rent Se7en or Manhunter instead.
Index
2004: The Year
of the Political Film
Historical Films
Alexander--Addressed
issues of power, responsibility, and sexual orientation.
The
Aviator--A lone man faces off against corporations and a corrupt
senator.
The
Passion of the Christ--Charged a debate about cinema violence
and the historical Jesus.
Documentaries
Fahrenheit
9/11--Michael
Moore's film kicked open the door for the documentary as a
commercial film.
Super
Size Me!--A very funny and pointed documentary about America's
eating habits.
Control
Room--This film addresses the news media and the larger issue of
meaning in film and television.
Fantasy Films
The
Chronicles of Riddick--Although dismissed by most critics as
fluff, this film was a strong allegory for the Iraq War.
Dawn
of the Dead--The remake reflected a lot of Romero's original but
felt fresh and scary. This is possibly the first major post-9/11 American
film.
I,
Robot--The film preyed on the fear of "the other
inside" and the invading hoard.
The
Manchurian Candidate--This
remake ripped some of its content right from the headlines and
explored fears about corporate power.
Team
America: World Police--A very funny and irreverent parody of the
political left and right.
The
Village--This film explored the reasons societies create devils
and use the fear as a device for controlling the lower
members of society.
Index
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